Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’” - Luke 13:6-7
Jesus and the disciples passed through Jericho and continued toward Jerusalem. They stopped briefly at Bethphage, just outside of the city, and took a donkey for Him to ride on. Then they entered Jerusalem to great fanfare, with the people waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” The priests and Pharisees were furious.
In this morning’s sermon we will discuss 2 miracles Jesus performed while in Jerusalem during the days leading up to Passover. The 1st is found only in the gospel of Matthew, while the 2nd is mentioned in both Matthew and Mark. Because Matthew records both, we will use his gospel as our primary text this morning. I have titled this message “Miracles in the Temple and the Withered Fig Tree”.
I. AT THE TEMPLE AGAIN (Matthew 21:12-17)
Jesus went into the temple and drove out those who were buying and selling animals and overturned the tables of the moneychangers. He began teaching the people and healing the blind and lame who came to Him. The children were shouting praise to the “Son of David” which caused the scribes and chief priests to become indignant. Jesus stated that the children’s praise was fitting and appropriate, as He was the Son of God (Psalm 8:2). He then left and went to the nearby town of Bethany to spend the night.
This was the 2nd time that Jesus cleansed the temple. At Passover 3 years earlier, near the beginning of His ministry, Jesus had driven the merchants and moneychangers out of the temple with a scourge of cords. On that occasion He performed various signs and wonders leading many to believe. We discussed that event 7 months ago during the 2nd message in this series. Now, 3 years later and just days before His crucifixion, Jesus does essentially the same thing again.
The miracles Jesus performed during this occasion were healing miracles. He healed the lame and blind who came to Him in the temple. The Bible does not say what method or methods He used to heal them, so we will categorize this as “unspecified”. Jesus was showing compassion for those who were physically sick and/or impaired, but beyond that He was revealing Himself as the Christ so that people would believe in Him for salvation.
II. JESUS CURSES THE FIG TREE (Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14, 20)
The next morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, He became hungry. He saw a lone fig tree beside the road, but as He approached it He saw that there was no fruit on it. Jesus cursed the fig tree and it immediately withered.
According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus cursed the fig tree before cleansing the temple and spending the day there. Then, the next morning as they were passing by, the disciples noticed the fig tree had “withered from the roots”. This seems to be an inconsistency between the 2 texts. Did the tree wither immediately as Matthew stated or did it wither the next day as Mark indicated? A reasonable possibility is that the fig tree’s leaves withered immediately and visibly when Jesus cursed it, and the next day when they passed by it again it had completely shrivelled up to its roots.
This was a natural miracle. Jesus caused the fig tree to wither and die. He did so with a spoken command. He cursed the fig tree to teach a lesson about faith and to serve as an illustration of His divine judgment (which we will discuss in the following point).
III. THE LESSONS OF THE FIG TREE (Matthew 21:20-22; Mark 11:21-25)
When the disciples saw the fig tree immediately wither, they asked how such a thing was possible. Jesus answered that if they had faith and did not doubt they could say to mountains, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” and it would happen. He challenged them to pray and ask with strong belief.
When Jesus told the disciples that their faith could move mountains, He wasn’t talking about literal mountains. Jesus had made this same statement earlier when the disciples were unable to cast a demon out of a demon-possessed boy (Matthew 17:20). On both occasions, the context makes it clear that Jesus is talking about overcoming mountainous obstacles in a person’s life. When we have faith in the Lord, even a small amount, we can face any challenge or adversity that stands in our way.
Many Bible scholars have pointed out that the fig tree is symbolic of Israel (Hosea 9:10, 16). When Jesus cursed the barren fig tree it was a picture of God’s judgment on the Jews. Under the old covenant the nation of Israel was supposed to prosper and produce spiritual fruit through obedience to the LORD’s commands. They were supposed to be a blessing and witness to the other nations of the world. However, they had failed for generations. Despite God’s love for and patience with His chosen people Israel, they would be judged for their fruitlessness and their rejection of His Son Jesus. A new covenant would be established between God and all believers, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.
CONCLUSION
As I’ve stated before, 1 of my main goals as a preacher and Bible teacher is to cover every single chapter and verse in the Bible before I die. Obviously, some passages are more theologically rich than others and will require more time and in depth study, but I at least want to read and generally touch on every single word of the Bible if possible. That said, I don’t like repeating messages over content that I’ve preached before because, frankly, I don’t know how many Sundays I’ve got left. However, in order to fully complete this series on “The Miracles of Jesus”, I am breaking my rule. These final 4 miracles (the 2 we discussed today and the 2 we’ll discuss next week) are included in my earlier sermon series on “The Passion Week” (which I preached in 2020) and on “The Post-Resurrection Appearances of Christ” (which I preached in 2018). For those of you who may have heard and remember those messages, I apologize for the redundancy.
In conclusion, Jesus didn’t perform miracles with the expectation that His followers would go about doing likewise. He healed the physical diseases and ailments of people as a demonstration of His power and authority to forgive and cure their spiritual sickness. He calmed the seas, multiplied the bread and fish, and performed other natural miracles to show His power over creation and His supernatural ability to protect and provide. He cast out demons to demonstrate His supremacy of the powers of darkness and He raised the dead to show His victory over the grave. His miracles were intended to reveal His identity and manifest His glory, so that we might believe in Him as the Son of God. To use John’s language, they were “signs” pointing us to Jesus. They were not normative behavior that we as Christians should emulate.
Next Sunday morning we will complete this series with a sermon covering the final 2 miracles on our list of 45. I look forward to seeing you then. May you all have a blessed week.
Jesus and the disciples passed through Jericho and continued toward Jerusalem. They stopped briefly at Bethphage, just outside of the city, and took a donkey for Him to ride on. Then they entered Jerusalem to great fanfare, with the people waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” The priests and Pharisees were furious.
In this morning’s sermon we will discuss 2 miracles Jesus performed while in Jerusalem during the days leading up to Passover. The 1st is found only in the gospel of Matthew, while the 2nd is mentioned in both Matthew and Mark. Because Matthew records both, we will use his gospel as our primary text this morning. I have titled this message “Miracles in the Temple and the Withered Fig Tree”.
I. AT THE TEMPLE AGAIN (Matthew 21:12-17)
Jesus went into the temple and drove out those who were buying and selling animals and overturned the tables of the moneychangers. He began teaching the people and healing the blind and lame who came to Him. The children were shouting praise to the “Son of David” which caused the scribes and chief priests to become indignant. Jesus stated that the children’s praise was fitting and appropriate, as He was the Son of God (Psalm 8:2). He then left and went to the nearby town of Bethany to spend the night.
This was the 2nd time that Jesus cleansed the temple. At Passover 3 years earlier, near the beginning of His ministry, Jesus had driven the merchants and moneychangers out of the temple with a scourge of cords. On that occasion He performed various signs and wonders leading many to believe. We discussed that event 7 months ago during the 2nd message in this series. Now, 3 years later and just days before His crucifixion, Jesus does essentially the same thing again.
The miracles Jesus performed during this occasion were healing miracles. He healed the lame and blind who came to Him in the temple. The Bible does not say what method or methods He used to heal them, so we will categorize this as “unspecified”. Jesus was showing compassion for those who were physically sick and/or impaired, but beyond that He was revealing Himself as the Christ so that people would believe in Him for salvation.
II. JESUS CURSES THE FIG TREE (Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14, 20)
The next morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, He became hungry. He saw a lone fig tree beside the road, but as He approached it He saw that there was no fruit on it. Jesus cursed the fig tree and it immediately withered.
According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus cursed the fig tree before cleansing the temple and spending the day there. Then, the next morning as they were passing by, the disciples noticed the fig tree had “withered from the roots”. This seems to be an inconsistency between the 2 texts. Did the tree wither immediately as Matthew stated or did it wither the next day as Mark indicated? A reasonable possibility is that the fig tree’s leaves withered immediately and visibly when Jesus cursed it, and the next day when they passed by it again it had completely shrivelled up to its roots.
This was a natural miracle. Jesus caused the fig tree to wither and die. He did so with a spoken command. He cursed the fig tree to teach a lesson about faith and to serve as an illustration of His divine judgment (which we will discuss in the following point).
III. THE LESSONS OF THE FIG TREE (Matthew 21:20-22; Mark 11:21-25)
When the disciples saw the fig tree immediately wither, they asked how such a thing was possible. Jesus answered that if they had faith and did not doubt they could say to mountains, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” and it would happen. He challenged them to pray and ask with strong belief.
When Jesus told the disciples that their faith could move mountains, He wasn’t talking about literal mountains. Jesus had made this same statement earlier when the disciples were unable to cast a demon out of a demon-possessed boy (Matthew 17:20). On both occasions, the context makes it clear that Jesus is talking about overcoming mountainous obstacles in a person’s life. When we have faith in the Lord, even a small amount, we can face any challenge or adversity that stands in our way.
Many Bible scholars have pointed out that the fig tree is symbolic of Israel (Hosea 9:10, 16). When Jesus cursed the barren fig tree it was a picture of God’s judgment on the Jews. Under the old covenant the nation of Israel was supposed to prosper and produce spiritual fruit through obedience to the LORD’s commands. They were supposed to be a blessing and witness to the other nations of the world. However, they had failed for generations. Despite God’s love for and patience with His chosen people Israel, they would be judged for their fruitlessness and their rejection of His Son Jesus. A new covenant would be established between God and all believers, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity.
CONCLUSION
As I’ve stated before, 1 of my main goals as a preacher and Bible teacher is to cover every single chapter and verse in the Bible before I die. Obviously, some passages are more theologically rich than others and will require more time and in depth study, but I at least want to read and generally touch on every single word of the Bible if possible. That said, I don’t like repeating messages over content that I’ve preached before because, frankly, I don’t know how many Sundays I’ve got left. However, in order to fully complete this series on “The Miracles of Jesus”, I am breaking my rule. These final 4 miracles (the 2 we discussed today and the 2 we’ll discuss next week) are included in my earlier sermon series on “The Passion Week” (which I preached in 2020) and on “The Post-Resurrection Appearances of Christ” (which I preached in 2018). For those of you who may have heard and remember those messages, I apologize for the redundancy.
In conclusion, Jesus didn’t perform miracles with the expectation that His followers would go about doing likewise. He healed the physical diseases and ailments of people as a demonstration of His power and authority to forgive and cure their spiritual sickness. He calmed the seas, multiplied the bread and fish, and performed other natural miracles to show His power over creation and His supernatural ability to protect and provide. He cast out demons to demonstrate His supremacy of the powers of darkness and He raised the dead to show His victory over the grave. His miracles were intended to reveal His identity and manifest His glory, so that we might believe in Him as the Son of God. To use John’s language, they were “signs” pointing us to Jesus. They were not normative behavior that we as Christians should emulate.
Next Sunday morning we will complete this series with a sermon covering the final 2 miracles on our list of 45. I look forward to seeing you then. May you all have a blessed week.